nokia

A new report from the Finland media outlet Helsingin Sanomat claims, via "multiple" but unnamed sources, that Microsoft plans to lay off as many as 1,000 workers based in that country. Microsoft took in 4,700 new Finland team members when it acquired Nokia's Devices and Services division in April.

A new update to the Nokia MixRadio streaming music app has been released and it removes the "Nokia" branding from the app in the latest such move by Microsoft to ditch older names from apps made by the team who used to work at Nokia.

Microsoft has updated two of their Nokia Software Development Kits, the Nokia Imaging SDK, as well as the Lumia SensorCore SDK. The Imaging SDK has been updated to version 1.2, while the SensorCore SDK has come out of private beta, and into developer beta.

The U.S. Microsoft Store is now taking pre-orders for both the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Nokia Lumia 635, although there is no word on when they will ship out to people who decide to put their money down now on one of the first Windows Phone 8.1 devices.

Microsoft Mobile Oy has published a small teaser article on the old Nokia Conversations blog, revealing a countdown for June 24th. Not giving much away, the company teases that "summer brings out our inner glow... stay tuned to Conversations to find out what we've got in store". We're not entirely sure what the company will announce, but since it's green (similar to teasers for the Nokia X), it's possible we'll see an X2 (as previously rumored) or even a mention of the green Nokia Lumia 1520.

Wireless charging for your smartphone is a more convenient way to add juice to the battery, but how awesome would it be for this to occur while the phone is in a pocket? Microsoft Mobile has teamed up with British designer A. Sauvage to come up with luxury pants (or trousers for us here in the UK) that also charge a compatible smartphone. The product is no mere concept – however – and will be available for pre-order on Amazon soon.

We looked at Sporting Mouth a few weeks back, which enables both Windows and Windows Phone users to bet against their friends and family on sport results. Microsoft Mobile Oy is running a competition through Facebook to celebrate the World Cup 2014 currently underway.

It looks like Irish customers have to wait a while longer for the Lumia 930, as Ireland's Technology Blog states that the launch of the device has been pushed back by two weeks. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Nokia's latest flagship device would be making its way to Ireland's Meteor network in addition to Vodafone and O2.

Though Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia’s Devices and Services division was announced late last year and completed in April, the fate of Nokia’s trademark technology brands has still been unknown. Brand names like Lumia smartphones, ClearBlack displays and PureView camera technology have become synonymous with innovation and quality, much like the Nokia name itself.

And though the Nokia name will eventually be disappearing from the faces of Windows phones, it looks like some of the those mainstay Nokia brand names, along with a few surprising ones, will continue on with Microsoft.

Availability of Nokia's Lumia 1320 and Lumia 630 will be expanding to retailer Argos in Ireland. Both phones will be available contract-free and unlocked so you're not bound to any carriers or contracts. The Lumia 630 will be available for €164.95 while the Lumia 1320 will be priced at €339.95.

Nokia Ireland has confirmed that the Lumia 930 will be arriving on various carriers in the country starting on July 3rd. The flagship Lumia 930, which is similar to the Verizon Lumia Icon in the U.S., will be arriving on Meteor, as we had reported earlier, Vodafone, and O2 according to a post on the carrier's Facebook page.

Nokia has just rolled out another update to its Network+ app that brings some changes. The app says that it brings dual SIM support and smart dual SIM support, though these features were present since version 2.1. The app has a version number of 2.2.1.11 now. In the Windows Phone store, it looks like the changelog hasn't been updated, however, so we're not sure what improvements were added since the last update to Network+.

No, the Nokia Lumia 930 isn't strapped to a meteor in space, hurtling towards Earth. We're talking about the Windows Phone confirmed to be heading to Irish mobile operator Meteor. According to Ireland's Technology Blog, the operator has recently held a conference call covering handsets planned to be stocked and the Lumia 930 happens to be one of them. Perfect for those who are eagerly awaiting its arrival in Ireland.

Now that Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia is complete, the Redmond-based organisation is looking to transition Nokia's brand assets starting next year. A set of slides leaked by @evleaks detail how this transition will take place.

Microsoft today officially unveiled the Lumia 636 and Lumia 638 in China, offering affordable options in the region with 4G connectivity to boot. The Lumia 638 will be available from July 5th with the retail price of 1,299 yuan ($200), while the Lumia 636 is going for the same price and can be purchased from July 21st.

Nokia is working with another company to help develop new bendable OLED display panels that could, in theory, be used in future smartphones. Two prototypes of those displays were shown a few days ago at the SID 2014 academic conference in San Diego.